One year later, in the middle of the night...
"Having kids would be fun! They said," Ashton rolled his eyes as he changed his newborn son's diaper while Anna attended to their daughter.
The couple couldn't have been more excited when they learned they were about to have twins. However, it didn't take long for the excitent to fade away once the kiddos joined them.
Even with plenty of help, raising two kids simultaneously was no joke. No amount of monster slaying could have prepared Ashton for the hell he was experiencing.
Despite all the troubles, Ashton knew he wouldn't give up what he had for anything.
"You're not done with Asta yet?" Anna sighed with a hint of annoyance as she took over Ashton's task. "For soone the entire galaxy respects, you are one heck of a loser if you can't even change a diaper."
"...I get you're tired, but that's no way to address your husband-"
Ashton blurted out, but the next mont, Anna pulled him in by his collar and planted a kiss on his lips.
"There, happy now?" Anna winked at him and returned to work. "Even if you aren't, please check on the milk."
"With pleasure!"
Ashton's hands imdiately shot out towards Anna's breasts, earning him a smack on the head.
"Milk on the stove! Not my tits!" she said, playfully glaring at him.
"I see... Ruth is asleep, right?"
"Yeah, for now. I know what you're thinking, and I'm warning you, don't do anything to wake her up."
"Chill out, mada. I'm not a monster, geez!"
Even after saying that, Ashton did check on his daughter before leaving the room. Unlike Asta, who was already a troublemaker, Ruth slept peacefully in her crib.
"Who knew Lycaon's sleep deprivation training from all those years ago would help us like this," Ashton smiled and left the room. "I wonder what Astaroth would say if he saw like this."
Since the last battle, there hadn't been a day where Ashton didn't rember Astaroth. However, the thoughts were different now – he rembered Astaroth as a cherished friend and didn't bla himself for his death as he did before.
Still, it went without saying that Ashton wouldn't have been alive without him. That's why he nad his children Asta and Ruth, paying homage to his brother and ensuring his children had a part of Astaroth, even after his death.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ashton shifted his attention away from dwelling on the past and toward the pot of boiling milk on the stove. Not even Astaroth's reincarnation could rescue him from Anna's wrath if it were to spill over.
However, as he was about to turn off the stove, he felt a chill down his spine. It was a strange feeling. It felt familiar, yet distant.
"Malekith!" Ashton called for the AI in charge of managing the Ghosts.
"What is it now- oh! HOT, HOT, HOT!" Malekith's projection exclaid as it materialised over the boiling milk.
"Contact the Xyrans and the Orions. Sothing's amiss," Ashton instructed, ignoring the AI's attempt to humanise himself. "Take Laihud and Mazton in the call as well."
"Right away!" Sensing Ashton's seriousness, Malekith dropped his act and got to work.
Since Ashton rarely ever contacted the galactic overlords that the Orions and Xyrans were, a call from him was taken with utmost seriousness.
"How's married life treating you, Ashton?" Ibis chirped as soon as the call connected.
"Can you scan the sectors J12 to KL45? There's sothing I need to check."
"...Sure. But what's with the hurry?" Lihan, one of the Orion emperor's assistants, chid in.
"Do the scans, you'll know."
"Give us a mont..." Ibis replied and disappeared.
It only took a mont for her to return, and judging by the look on her face, she wasn't bearing any good news.
"Initial scans have detected a vast source of Precursor Aura right outside the galaxy," she inford the rest. "Sothing is heading towards us and rapidly so."
"Fuck..." Lihan cursed sothing considered to be unbecoming in the Orion society. "I would need to inform his majesty about this. We'll contact you soon!"
Saying so, Lihan left the call, leaving Adrian and the rest alone.
"This can't be good," Mazton comnted.
"Anything Precursor-related is ever good," Laihud replied before turning to Ashton. "No offence, of course."
"All of you, get to Earth ASAP. We need to discuss this in person," Ashton sighed. "Till then, keep monitoring the situation and... prepare for a war."
***
Ashton stood in the kitchen, his mind heavy with the weight of the recent revelation. His mind was clouded with worry as his eyes stared blankly at the countertop, lost in thought.
The prospect of another potential Precursor threat was disturbing, to say the least. It cast a shadow on the relative peace they had enjoyed for a short while since Kro'Han's defeat.
Anna entered the kitchen, her brows furrowed as Ashton didn't bring her the milk. However, when she saw his face, she knew sothing was amiss.
"What's wrong, Ashton?" Anna's voice cut through the silence.
"I just got off the call with Ibis and Mazton. They found sothing exhibiting a lot of Precursor aura around the Verge," Ashton sighed, his shoulders slumping as he turned to face Anna. "I suspect it could be another fanatic follower of Kro'Han coming for revenge."
Anna's eyes widened in shock. It had barely been over a year since their intense battle against Kro'Han, and the physical and emotional wounds were still healing. The re thought of facing another war so soon left a knot in her stomach.
Besides, following the loss of his summons, Ashton was much weaker than he used to be. It also ant he could no longer resurrect himself if things took a turn for the worse.
"Another one?" Anna exclaid. "We're not ready for this, Ashton. It's too soon."
"I know, Anna. We've barely had ti to recover from the last one, but it seems the universe hasn't given up on testing yet." Ashton smiled wanly.
Ashton wrapped his arms around Anna, pulling her into a comforting embrace. He sighed, feeling the weight of a forgotten responsibility again settle on his shoulders.
"We prepare. We gather the allies we can, fortify our defences, and hope for the best."
"Well, ti to brush up our skills then," Anna joked and hugged Ashton tighter.
"Yeah..."
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